Vegan Brownies: Two Ways

October 19, 2011Angela (Oh She Glows)

by Angela (Oh She Glows) on October 19, 2011

Brownies are notorious for being difficult to get just right. Since going vegan, brownies are the one dessert that I have had the least success with. There’s something about not having the egg in there that just makes it difficult to get the perfect texture. I’ve tried a few vegan brownie recipes on the blog so far and while they’ve all tasted great, I haven’t found the one that makes me say “this is it”.

This might be it. It’s pretty damn close to my perfect brownie.

I love my brownies dense and rich with a crispy crust. I’m not a fan of cake-like brownies. If I want cake, I’ll make a cake! Mind you…I’ll pretty much eat any brownie that’s put in front of me without a single complaint. Duh.

Now, throw gluten-free and vegan into the mix and it’s almost doomed for failure.

But it can’t hurt to try.

Apparently it can. It can hurt real bad.

Despite the mess above, I have two successful brownie recipes to share with you:

a gluten-free and vegan version

a regular vegan version (not GF)

The very first brownie I made was our least favourite and biggest shocker. I used a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flour. The result was a cake-like texture and the flavour didn’t wow me like I hoped. I will not be sharing this recipe with you today as it needs more work.

After that, I decided to switch up my flours to get the dense brownie I was looking for.

[the GF brownie is a bit thicker because it was baked in an 8 inch pan while the vegan brownie was baked in a 9 inch pan.]

In the vegan version (on left) I used a mix of all-purpose flour and almond meal/flour. The texture and taste was so much better than the first version! For the gluten-free version, I used a mix of brown rice flour, almond meal/flour, and arrowroot powder. I was really surprised at how close I could get the gluten-free version’s texture to the regular vegan version. Both were winners, but I’ll tell you which one we liked best at the end of the post. Oh, suspense.

1 cup + 1/4 cup organic cane sugar (note: a reduction in sugar will lead to a more cake-like brownie)

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment and grease all sides. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water and set aside.

2. In a blender or processor, process almonds into a meal/flour. Sift out large pieces. Or use store bought almond meal/flour. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, cocoa, salt, soda).

3. In a large microwave safe bowl, add chocolate and Earth Balance and melt in microwave for about 30-45 seconds until melted. Stir well and add in flax egg, sugar, vanilla, and milk. Whisk.

4. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir well. The mixture will be VERY dry, but not to worry keep mixing! Now fold in the walnuts and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

5. Scoop batter into prepared pan and place a piece of parchment on top. Spread with hands or a pastry roller until smooth and even.

6. Bake for 32-34 minutes at 350F and allow brownies to cool in pan for about 1.5 hours. DO NOT REMOVE BROWNIES (uh oh I’m yelling!) until completely cool or they will crack apart. After an hour or so, gently separate edge of brownie from pan with a butter knife and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely and slice carefully. Some cracking when slicing is normal and I say it gives the brownies character, right? Store in air-tight container for up to 3-4 days.

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I love a crisp edge on a brownie!

The key for brownie success is a very thick batter. It’s so thick, you think you did something wrong.

Scoop the thick dough onto the pan and spread it out. I placed a piece of parchment paper on top and rolled a pastry roller over it to smooth out. It’s a bit annoying to work with, but the effort is worth it!

Next up, the GF and vegan brownies:

Oh She Glows Vegan and Gluten-Free Brownies

Ridiculously good. Dense, nutty, with a crispy crust. Our favourite vegan brownie to date and gluten-free too. No one will ever guess these are vegan and gluten-free!

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment and grease all sides. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water and set aside.
2. In a blender or processor, process almonds into a meal/flour. Sift out large pieces. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, arrowroot, cocoa, salt, baking soda).
3. In a large microwave safe bowl, add chocolate and Earth Balance and melt in microwave for about 30-45 seconds until melted. Stir well and add in flax egg, sugar, vanilla, and milk. Whisk.
4. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir well. The mixture will be VERY dry, but not to worry keep mixing! Now fold in the walnuts and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
5. Scoop thick batter into prepared pan and place a piece of parchment on top. Spread with hands or a pastry roller until smooth and even.
6. Bake for 35-37 minutes at 350F and allow brownies to cool in pan for about 1.5 hours. DO NOT REMOVE BROWNIES (uh oh I’m screaming!) until completely cool or they will crumble…you were warned! After an hour or so, separate edge of brownie from pan with a butter knife and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely. I like to leave my brownies out overnight (uncovered) and cut them in the morning.
Store in an air-tight container. Will stay fresh for up to 3 days.

Two excellent vegan brownie recipes.

But which one was the best?

I put on my Mad Scientist coat and did a Blind taste test on Eric. He preferred the gluten-free and vegan brownie to the vegan brownie made with all-purpose flour. I also preferred the GF brownie. I never thought either of us would have concluded that, so it was quite interesting to say the least! Whichever you make, you really can’t go wrong though.

Your blog is actually amazing – I love all of the vegan recipes, and now that you’re gluten-free, I’m loving those recipes too! My best friend – and maybe soon my boyfriend? – is allergic to gluten so your recipes are basically perfect for us :)

My recent food sensitivity tests show I won’t need to go gluten-free (more in a future post), but I’m def. open to baking more gluten free options! I hope to do two versions for some recipes because I love the challenge and I also think GF foods can taste great.

Oh my, I’ve died and gone to brownie heaven! I’ve been looking for a gluten-free brownie recipe and have yet to make one that tasted decent. I have a feeling this one could be a winner. I’m thinking of adding in a little peanut butter in place of the walnuts. Do you think that would be a good idea or would it make them too dense? Thanks for this tasty recipe, Angela!

I know I am replying to very old post but I remembered these when wanting to bake for a potluck for some coworkers that were, between the three of them, lacotse-itolerant with either soy or egg allergies. These guys never get baked goods at work, so I was a bit of hero thanks to you. I used peanut flour in place of the almond flour and subbed 1/4 cup coconut oil + 2 T pumpkin butter for the butter and they were super yummy.

I make a pretty good brownie (GF, vegan and nut free). I’ve found mixing flaxseed meal, coconut flour, tapioca flour and GF oat flour makes a great texture. I’ll have to play around with your recipe – looks yummy!

Tapioca flour is made from the root of the cassava plant, once ground it takes the form of a light, soft, fine white flour. It has a slightly nutty flavor, very mild in ovr all flavor. Tapioca flour adds chewiness to baking and is a good thickener. It’s a fairly resilient flour, so storing at room temperature is no problem. No gluten, natural.

Oooh, these brownies look deeeelicious! :-D
Is it just me or are all vegan brownies really dense and fudgy? I have a favorite vegan brownie recipe that I found on AllRecipes and it is super gooey! You should definitely give it a try! allrecipes.com/recipe/vegan-brownies/

I’ve also been trying to make a vegan brownie and really really dislike the cake quality. When I’m craving brownies, give me something gooey, practically like batter. I can’t wait to share this with my mum, who is convinced you can’t get the same texture without using the mix from a box. Thanks for sharing!

They look amazing and thank you for trialing all these versions. Tough work, but someone has to do it, right? :)

Cake-like brownies are a no go for me. Must be dense, rich, fudgy, pretty much a thick, solid, really dense slab of fudge is how I like them.

That is so interesting about the GF being the preferrred…I imagine that somehow the almond flour gave it that heaviness and density that is great in brownies; not so good in a white birthday cake. At least that’s my experience w/ almond flour.

And “I placed a piece of parchment paper on top and rolled a pastry roller over it to smooth out. It’s a bit annoying to work with, but the effort is worth it!” <— I have been searching for something like that! Where did you get it? Pastry store? Online?

You are exactly right about the almond flour!
I’ve found it gives a density and sweetness to cookies and brownies. Not so great in large amount for fluffy baked goods though, but in small amounts, I find it’s nice.

I’ve also had a lot of success making GF vegan & fat free brownies with oat + quinoa flours (fresh ground from whole quinoa and steel-cut oats – both uncontaminated GF certified) instead of whole wheat pastry, and no other subs to the recipe.

Hi Angela,
These brownies look awesome! Must try! When you say non dairy chocolate, do you mean vegan chips or something like this?
Thanks for all your great recipes! How is your cookbook coming along anyway? I would be one of the first in line, even though I have my own version scattered about the house from printing them every other day!!!
Thanks again!
Jen

I have to say that I’m not too fussy with brownies – if they are chocolatey and not dry, I am generally happy! – but I might become fussy after these. Who would have thought vegan AND gluten free could turn out so well? You deserve a medal :)

If I make both of these, you’ll see BOTH the recipes gone by midnight…or even less.
I will eat and lick every crumb I see ;] which is also why I had to reduce my baking days to only Saturday and Sunday and sometimes Wednesday ._.

Oh my word! That looks amazing. Me & my fiance are going to bake one of your desserts for my birthday on Monday but I can’t decide which one!! Any suggestions? Which is your favorite? I think I def want to do something with chocolate.

Oh my gosh… I just tried making black bean brownies. Two different recipes two nights in a row. The first had banana and just tasted like mashed banana. The second tasted ok… but not really great and they didn’t really bake in the middle.

I’m on a mission to try to make a vegan, gluten free, processed sugar free, oil free brownie. It’s hard! That’s a lot of ingredients to switch out!!!

At least it’s not just me! I love the idea though… I just want a healthy dessert that is chocolaty and I can feel good about eating lol!
The first one I tried had banana in it and it was awful. It just tasted like beans and banana. My friend said it tasted like rellenitos – plaintains stuffed with beans and a little cocao. Then I tried a different recipe. It tasted better, but still had the consistency of refried beans!

I also love brownies that are crispy on the outside, but dense and almost fudge-lke on the inside. I’m kind of shocked that you both preferred the gluten free version – I’ve had bad luck with most gluten free recipes I’ve tried, especially for things like brownies. Can’t wait to try your recipes!

On a serious note *ahem* I love that you show some of the things that don’t work too. It reminds us that even the best food bloggers and creators had to start somewhere…and that no one produces perfect products the first time. I tend to put people on a pedestal (gotta work on that…) so I really appreciate how you aren’t afraid to share the mistakes too. Universe knows, we all make them! :)

These look beyond amazing! Major kudos to you, I can only imagine *how* hard it is to master a vegan brownie recipe AND gluten free vegan. Can’t wait to try these out! Definitely book-marked :) And thanks for the gluten- free option, super tough to create indeed!

Painfully gorgeous and drool-inducing post! Gotta have the crispy crust on a chewy brownie. I agree cakey is for cake! : ) Can’t wait to give the gluten-free version a try (no gluten for my autoimmune diseases!) Also wanted to let you know I visit often just to “ooooh and aaaahh” over your beyond gorgeous photography. Awe-striking!

Ooooh these look absolutely INCREDIBLE!! Im totally there with you on the whole hating brownies that taste like cake thing – rubbish!! I like them super gooey – and totally with the all important crust. Ive actually had lots of GF brownies that I really liked, but none have been vegan too so I imagine thats a mega challenge!! I did a whole post on chocolate yesterday and whether or not its good for you (concluded that the dark stuff, defo isnt bad!!) so ( since I dont even like chocolate that much so who knows why I did all the research!?) I think making some brownies could be a really good call!! I absolutely love the detail in all your recipes. So much more important than exclusively raving about the taste… I need to learn from that :) xox

ahh the elusive flaky topped vegan brownie!! i know what you mean about wanting a crispy crust. i too have tried many vegan brownie recipes and they tend to end up either cakey or fudgey and more like a torte- which i love but simply they are not then ‘true’ brownies. these however look like the real deal….!!

Thanks Angela! I have to make these for my Vegan friend. She doesn’t know how to cook or eat and she’s Vegan. I’m not, but I always bring her meals I know she can eat! She is shocked sometimes by the fact that something is vegan and tastes so good! Thank you!!

Wowee, thank you so much for doing all this difficult research! A good brownie is indeed hard to find, but I have a good feeling about these ones. I also love a good crispy crust on a brownie – that’s the best part!

Cannot wait to try these! What would you recommend i use if I want to decrease sugar levels (substitute that would work well in place of sugar)? Thank you for setting us up with a perfect brownie recipe for the weekend:-). I’m dreaming of your brownies paired with a salted caramel latte!

ohhh gosh, it’s been awhile since I had a really good brownie. I’m with you on the texture thing: not cake-y! Dense, fudgy, chewy, with a crispy edge. I used to have use a link on VegWeb for THE BEST brownies, but I’m not sure which one it was anymore…so I’m stoked to try yours :D

I can’t thank you enough for this! Brownies are my FAV but buying healthy versions is so expensive and the texture usually isn’t quite right. I’ll be making this for the holidays..and probably a lot of days afterwards. Thanks again Angela!!!

These look so delish – I might try to throw another element in there and make them naturally sweetened. I’ll let you know how it turns out! (I don’t need gluten-free so would probably just do this with the vegan version).

Yum! I was actually brainstorming some vegan brownie ideas the other day. Brownies are my favorite and so far every “healthier” version I have attempted didn’t quite turn out. If my kitchen experiment doesn’t turn out I know whose version I will be trying!

YUM! Brownies have to be one of my favorite desserts of all time. While I won’t “ruin” them by adding nuts, I’ll certainly eat the nuts on the side ;) Thank you so much for sharing your failures as well, makes me feel better about all of my kitchen mistakes!

I found the cutest idea the other day on pinterest to do with brownies. Bake them individually in a cookie cutter! They’re so cute shaped, and can be modified to fit any occasion. I’m so excited to try that with these vegan brownies, thanks for the recipe :) (and check out my blog for a photo of the shaped brownies! http://cupcakesandcoffeebreaks.wordpress.com )

These look delicious! I have yet to make vegan brownies with that flaky top that conventional egg-containing brownies can have. I’m excited to try one of these recipes. Where can I find a pastry roller like yours? I’ve only seen them with handles on the sides which doesn’t help for smoothing bars and brownies out in a pan.

These look absolutely mouthwateringly delicious. As soon as I get out of the hospital I want to make them!! Maybe I’ll have my sister make them and bring them to me. Her best friend has celiac and loves vegan goodies so I’m sure they will be eager to try them!

I just made a variation of these, substituting the cup of sugar for half a cup of brown rice syrup (decreasing the amount of milk as well), and the Earth Balance for coconut oil. If anything, I thought they’d be too moist and batter-y, but they turned out really cake-like and sort of bitter. I’m not blaming you at all, though, Angela – obviously I should have listened to you! Consider this more of a warning: don’t mess with Angela’s recipes. They’re good as they are.

I am so excited to try this brownie! The timing is perfect because I just tried making my first Vegan brownie and it came out rock hard. I am so excited to try this recipe. Your chocolate chip cookie recipe is my new fav! Happy Weekend :)
p.s. what are your favorite Vegan desserts to make for the holidays? I’m trying to brainstorm ahead of time. Things get crazy with little kids.

If only I ate chocolate. Nevertheless, I’m so glad you posted both recipes, and with more than just a little bias, I’m glad you preferred the GF/V version in the end. And even though I myself don’t eat chocolate, I know a lot of my GF, DF, and V friends who would do anything for a delicious chocolate brownie. Will definitely be making these for them this holiday season.

Hey lovely lady!
these look GLORIOUS!!!!
I have been looking for gluten free + vegan brownies for sooooo long.
Just a quick question: are you using alkalized cocoa powder?
thanks!!
~~jess (thedaintypig)

the brownies look great, the recipe is printing…
I’ve never seen pastry rollers like that, wonder what could be used instead of it? Probably would be ok if it was just patted down with the back of a spoon?

Finally got around to making these brownies – first batch were exactly as the recipe (non GF) and were delicious. Made a second batch where replaced the earth balance with 1/2 mashed banana, increased the choc chips by 1/4 cup and used Stevia instead of sugar. Was good – just a little bit more ‘cakey’ but still moist and yummy.

Hi Angela,
I just made your vegan all purpose flour brownie recipe and followed it exactly; however, they kind of crumbled apart. The batter looks just like yours, thick and wet. Tasted amazing too, but once they were cooked and cooled and I cut them they crumbled apart everywhere! What could I have done wrong?

I just made these brownies tonight and they are a new favorite of mine. They did take awhile to make and it took over two hours to cool without crumbling, but they are more than worth it!!!!! I swear, you should definitely write a cookbook one day and include this recipe. These recipes are certainly worth the price, however I can also see that it can be even more rewarding to share your recipes when their isn’t a monetary value attached to them. I picked that up in my psychology classes, as I’m sure you did too ;).

i made these and they are so good! i made sure to follow the directions just right but my batter was way too easy to stir it wasn’t as thick as yours was in your pictures…any suggestions? i ground my almonds and they seemed kind of wet, could this have been my problem?

Made these this afternoon and let me just say OMG!! The batter was lick -a licious and the brownies…………..HEAVEN! The only thing was my bottom of the browies didn’t get hard, it stayed gooey, but they were heavenly. I cooked them in a glass 8×8 dish. I made the regular vegan version!! Hubby said he would like them a little more cakey, but that they were fabulous. I ate two and the second one was a bit too much. VERY rich and yummy! Thanks!!!

I have been a quiet follower for the past two years! I absolutely love your site! It is wonderful!

I was thinking about making your vegan brownies above and I wanted to incorporate coconut flour, any suggestions how I could substitute this into your recipe? Would I replace the all-purpose flour with coconute flour, same amount?

Hi – I made these brownies and they tasted nice but mine ended up being so dry! I didn’t even cook them as long as was suggested but they tasted like I had cooked them forever. What is the best way to counteract this? More Nature’s balance? Less cooking time? Or maybe both?

Making these for a dinner party tonight, I tried the GF version so everyone can enjoy! (plus, i super love almond flour!) I have an oven thermometer, which showed the oven was at 350c. when i pulled them out after 35 mins the top crust was dry but i stuck a toothpick in, and it came out all goopy, so in they went again… after 2 mins, same thing! so, 5 more mins…. still no change! just wondering if this is supposed to be this way so that the brownie turns out fudgey? i’m gonna chance it. hope they aren’t uncooked inside! *fingers crossed for magical brownies!*

The crust is supposed to be firm and flakey with a soft middle (but not super gooey though). You do have to let the brownies cool for 60-90 minutes in the pan after they come out of the oven…this part is essential for them to set.

I made the vegan version for work, and needless to say, everyone LOVED them!!! It was also fun to surprise skeptics with the info that they were vegan, after they had tasted them. I substituted a flax egg with a chia egg, and all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, b/c that is what I had on hand, and it worked well! Looking forward to making these for Thanksgiving, as well as some of your other delicious recipes! Thanks!

I’ve been cooking and BAKING vegan for over 15 years now and while I’ve recreated nearly every non-vegan dessert I could think of, I never had the patience to come up with the perfect vegan brownie. I’m so glad you’ve done the work for me! I am greatly lookig forward to making these. They look fantastic.

So I’m not a vegan but I signed up to bring in vegan brownies to work for a vegan brownie bake-off. After searching a ton of recipes I decided on this one (the pictures sold it!), and I have to say…I LOVED them!!! I actually had to re-read the ingredients after tasting them because I didn’t even believe they were vegan, and I had just made them!! hahaha

I made the vegan, gluten-free brownie and put in a can of pumpkin puree. It came out incredibly moist. I regret having to use the brownie mix from Trader Joe’s instead of buying the individual bags of dry ingredients (arrowroot, brown rice flour, xanthan gum). It still came out quite good, however I didn’t put the vegan chocolate chips. I was ready to buy it at the store, and to my surprise — they had dairy in them. So I omitted the chocolate chips from the recipe. In hindsight, the chocolate chips would’ve made the brownies sweeter. The cocoa powder, vanilla, and agave sugar (as well as the organic cane sugar in the brownie mix) gave it that chocolate taste, but it was very slight. Lesson learned. I’m definitely going to experiment next time and measure the ingredients according to recipe. And of course, throw in a “mystery” ingredient or two. Ever since I started baking these brownies, I began to take an interest in vegan/gluten-free foods. I surfed around the web, reading blogs about vegan cooking, then researched a similar ingredient used to replace xanthan gum and arrowroot — agar agar. It’s used as a thickener.
Keep up the great work Angela! I love your blog! I definitely will try some more of your recipes.

Hi there! I baked the vegan version last night and they were mighty crumbly! As you chewed them they became more gooey, but hard to handle initially. The only thing I didn’t get perfectly was the almond meal. I happened to have a boat load of almonds on hand and decided to try it out. I was worried they were becoming buttery (kind of turning into little balls) so I just threw it in at that point. I was doing short bursts and everything with my food processor! Any tips on how to make these more moist initially?

These brownies are very crumbly if you remove them from the pan & cut before they have fully cooled. I find they need a good 1-2 hours in the pan or longer, then they are fine for me. Also, if the meal isn’t completely ground up that may have impacted the brownies too. I hope you have better results if you try them again!

Wow! I made these tonight to bring for a dinner and they totally outdid my expectations. I’m not vegan, but these are my new go to brownie recipe. I’m going to try very hard not to eat the few I have left tonight. Thanks very much for the recipe!

These are in the oven right now! I’m so excited to see how they turn out (the plain vegan recipe). You were right, the batter definitely gets dry while mixing. I hope my mom likes them, she’s recently gone vegan with my dad and me and there’s nothing quite like brownies, especially when you’re craving brownies. Thanks for your blog! I love spending hours drooling over your recipes. I can’t wait to try your pumpkin recipes and the tomato basil coconut soup. Mmmm :)

RE: Vegan brownies (not GF)
I am amazed! They look and smell and (from a tiny crumb I stole) seem to be the real deal. A little nitpicking, though. The ingredients list could be more specific and call for chocolate chips rather than just “non-dairy chocolate”. Obviously chips are needed as in step 4. Also, in step 3, directions should say “add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips” rather than just chocolate.

Angela, I made the brownies this afternoon, and all I can say is, DELICIOUS! By far one of the best vegan brownies I have made and eaten. Thank you, thank you. There is no doubt that these will be made more than once a month. <3

These are fantastic! We did the gluten-free, vegan ones. We are on our 3rd batch in a week! Made a few subs: didn’t have rice flour so did Bob’s Red Mill GF flour (your recipes are so flexible I figured it wouldn’t be a problem), a little less cocoa, baker’s dark chocolate and used only 1/2 cup, and no canola oil because research coming out bad for body and thyroid.

These were the best brownies I’ve ever made – vegan or non-vegan – but I used a glass baking dish and easily doubled the cooking time (they still came out a bit raw). I added crumbled candy cane instead of nuts and it was devine.

Hi. I just made this recipe. The brownies are in the oven. But the dough was not hard like in your pictures. The only different thing I did, was melting the butter and chocolate chips on the double boiler ( a don’t have a microwave). Do you think I did something wrong?? Thanks.

These brownies are seriously amazing. I made the gluten free version and they are so moist and dense and just about perfect. They have a great, crispy top as well. I pretty much can’t make them or I’ll eat the whole pan in a few days. I haven’t been disappointed by one recipe I’ve tried; for someone who is gradually transitioning into a more plant-strong diet, I cannot tell you how nice it is to have confidence I’m going to like any recipe I try from this blog. I also love your photography.

Everything Nicole said above I second. GF version is moist, dense and comes out picture perfect everytime. 35 mins. and perfection. These brownies are a staple at our house. All of your recipes are always so forgiving of substitutions which we greatly appreciate. We made them with Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose GF flour and they cut easily 10 mins. after taking them out of the oven. May be difference between brown rice flour and Bob’s Red Mill GF flour. We also didn’t use the walnuts but that probably doesn’t make them crumble when warm. They really are lovely fresh out of the oven. So thankful these don’t have ingredients like xanthan gum or fake egg replacers. My daughter thinks you are terrific. If you can come up with a vegan, gluten-free, gum-free pancake without funky faux ingredients, she will be eternally grateful!

loved the recipe! i’ve tried many brownies recipes but all of them came out super greasy. i tried the regular ones, i didn’t have enough almond flour so i used half of it and the other half arrowroot. i baked them for 30min and maybe i should have looked around 25 but they were delicious! even my non-vegan family enjoyed them, thank you :D

Hi Angela! I’m a long-time follower of your blog and try lots and lots of your recipes. I am also a newly awakened vegan (the past month or so), and vegetarian of 1 1/2 years. I just wanted to say that I’ve tried several vegan brownie recipes, and like you said, most have turned out kind of “cakey.” If I want cake, I’ll make cake! I love a brownie to be thick and dense and fudgy- something to really sink your teeth into! I made this brownie recipe (not the GF) last night and OMG… they are SO amazing! I’m a chocoholic, and I was in heaven!

Just made these brownies today and OH MY!!!!!!!! They are awesome!!! These are the first Vegan brownies I have tried that have turned out beautifully! Definitely a keeper. Also may I just say that every one of your recipes that I have tried to date have turned out wonderfully and have tasted equally as amazing! I have been following your blog for some time now and I am so inspired by your story and by your great recipes that I thought it was well past time that I thanked you for sharing all your recipes and encouragement on your blog.

Hi Angela! Just wanted to let you know that your vegan brownies recipe has crossed the ocean and reached the coasts of Argentina :) Me and my partner tried it and it was delicious! Best vegan brownie ever…thanks for posting! Greetings from Buenos Aires :)

I just tried making the vegan version. I was really happy with the consistency but I found the almond meal took over the flavor. Is it possible that I could get away with substituting whole wheat pastry flour for the almond meal, possibly changing the amount if need be? And I use EnerG in place of eggs rather than flax meal, how many “eggs” should I use with this recipe?

I made the GF version for a work gathering that included GF and vegan folks but I think I overbaked them slightly as the edges were pretty hard and sandy. I cut them off and saved them to crumble over ice cream later.

The finished product was still a little dry and sandy for my liking so I made a quick icing with 1 Tbsp earth balance, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, 3/4 C powdered sugar and 1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup then used a piping bag to make rosettes diagonally and decorated with a light dusting of icing sugar. The creaminess from the frosting was quite nice and the decorative finish really took these up a notch.

I tried the first recipe a while ago and it was amazing. The batter is definitely strange, but I was so tempted to eat it “raw” it was good! I’m often disappointed by brownies because they taste more sugary than chocolatey but these ones had wonderful chocolate flavour! thanks.

I made these last night and they were amazing!. I didn’t have enough cocoa powder so i added some shredded coconut in with the mix to make sure the texture wasn’t too runny. It worked really well together. Great recipe. Thanks so much for posting.

I made these (vegan version) brownies two hours ago and I can’t stop eating them. I didn’t have AP flour so I used whole wheat flour and made my own almond flour. I omitted the walnuts (brace face) and added butterscotch pieces and this was simply amazing. Moist and fudgy. My favorite vegan diner makes the worst vegan treats so I had to give this one a try and I will definitely make this one again and again. THANK YOU FOR THIS AMAZING RECIPE.

I just made these, I used almond-rice milk, for the rest I closely followed your recipe and the brownies turned out AMAZING! Thank you so much, I am trial baking for my family Christmas dinner next week and will serve them these brownies, thanks! One question: do you think you can use Chia seed ‘eggs’ instead of flax eggs? They might have a less distinctive taste I think… Did you ever try that?

Like an idiot…I followed the non gluten free version exactly but used Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour instead of regular flour. I’m glad because the brownies turned out AMAZING! The best brownies I have ever had. Now to keep myself from eating them all in one day…

Thanks for the recipe. I tried making the Vegan+GF recipe and sub the flax seed egg mixture with applesauce. They didn’t rise that much, which makes me believe that I should have added the flax see egg instead. Have you tried making these with applesauce?

am snacking on the batter as I type…I don’t have non dairy chocolate, so I used twice as much coco powder and coconut oil… Its in the oven now; hope it comes out ok…. and I only have almond-coconut milk, so I used that and the batter is so good I almost didn’t want to bake it, but I just wanted to eat it as is… yeah yum

I made these for an engagement party and people devoured them like they were water in the desert. THANK YOU! I doubled the recipe and cooked it for a little longer in a bigger pan, and I think the thicker brownies may have made them even better. I also doubled the vanilla and added a small amount of coffee grounds to the chocolate. Oh, and I didn’t use the pastry roller. They may not have been as pretty but it didn’t hurt the taste at all. Thanks again. Great recipe.

OMG! I couldn’t wait 1.5 hours! I just cut myself a little piece after 15 min of cooling, and yes it crumbled BUT…. I could taste the goodness of it. I am new to making Vegan and Gluten free desserts and so far you have the best recipes. They’re so easy to follow too. Thank you and keep making new discoveries. :D

I made these over the weekend to take on a camping trip. BEST IDEA EVER. They were a hit! I added a bit of instant espresso powder and used chocolate bars with espresso beans in them instead of regular chocolate chips and they were perfect for my coffee loving group of friends!! Thank you for sharing this magical recipe with us!

Made these tonight and they turned out great! My batter wasn’t THAT thick. Not to the point it required me to roll it out anyway. They are everything a brownie should be, chewy, chocolatey, delicious. And pretty easy to throw together! Thanks so much for a great recipe!

Angela,
I bought your cookbook (which is AMAZING, by the way) and there is a similar recipe (maybe the same one?) in there and I have a question. It might seem obvious to most but I was wondering if you leave the parchment paper on top while baking. At first I thought no, but when I tried to remove it a ton of dough stuck to it so I put it back on and left it in. I know you did not say to take it off but in some cases, things are too obvious to mention and so now I am torn whether you meant to leave it in (because you didn’t mention to take it off) or didn’t mention it because it is obvious that we should take it off :-).
Thank you!

Hi Angela,
These look amazing! I was curious if you have ever used coconut oil rather than Earth Balance in your baking? I am trying to avoid products that contain palm oil and I was curious if you’d tried it.

Hi Angela,
I’m from Germany and have been reading your blog for quite while. I love how you don’t simply try to create tasty vegan food, but also take the healthy aspects into consideration. Combined with your sympathetic way of writing, your posts are so much fun to read!
This recipe was my second try – I still need to get used to measuring in cups instead of weight – and now I feel like: Oh my god, these brownies are by far the best ones I’ve ever eaten! Usually I like the taste of my baking attempts, but the texture almost always needs improvement. However, as you already wrote, these are simply perfect in every way. I merely replaced the walnuts for dried cranberries, so that the brownies get a fresh touch.

I wish you and your baby, and your husband, of course, the very best! It’s exciting to read about your (vegan) pregnancy, thanks a lot for letting the world know. (Besides, I hope Sketchie is doing fine as well.)

My family really loves these brownies. I made the vegan and gluten free version and it turned out perfect! Thank you Angela for putting together such a wonderful recipe! I happened upon this site quite by accident and even though our family does eat meat, we are looking to reduce our dependence on animal products. I had no idea you could replace using an egg with flax and water. How ingenious!

I made the brownies out of your cookbook yesterday for the second time. The first time turned out pretty good but were still a little dry. Then yesterday they came out dry (even though I followed the exact cooking time) and were a little bit like cookies. Is it possible that when I mixed my almonds into flour they were not flour-y (inventing words;)) enough? or could the fact that I didn’t have enough parchment paper to roll on top have done anything? They still tasted delicious despite the fact that they didn’t taste very much like brownies though!

I made this this weekend and they came out amazing!!! They have a wonderful slightly crispy outer layer and are fudgy and delicious on the inside. Not one person said they would have ever guessed that they were vegan!! Score!! = ) I didn’t change anything and they came out great! This will definitely be my go to vegan brownie recipe from here on out!! Thank you so much!!

I made the gluten free version and they’re seriously the best brownies I’ve every had! I gave basically the whole pan away, so I’ve made them again this morning to enjoy with family :) They’re so rich and I love that they’re not too sweet. Just one cures the craving for brownies! Thank you!!

Hi Angela! I am hoping to bake these for my mom’s birthday tomorrow. I was wondering if you have ever made your gluten-free brownies with homemade brown rice flour. I was contemplating just using my Vitamix’s dry pitcher to turn brown rice into flour. Think it would work?

These are incredible! Until now I haven’t found a single vegan brownie recipe that has that flaky crust on top- what do you think is responsible for it? It is critical to my brownie eating satisfaction!

I followed your instructions except had to use about 1 cup turbinado sugar bc I ran out of white sugar, and I doubled the amount of nuts as mix-ins (love extra nutty brownies so I couldn’t help myself). They came out awesome- perfect flavor! Texture was a little crumbly but I think if I had a pastry roller to press them down like you did that would have helped- I kind of got sick of fussing with spreading them out in the pan and just threw them in the oven so I take the blame on that one :) I made sure to let them cool completely to try and make up for it- ha!

I know you introduced a recipe rating system but I don’t see a way to rate these…?

Hi Jenna, Swapping a dry sugar for another dry sugar is usually fine, but if you want to sub a dry sugar for a liquid one (such as you suggest here), it gets tricky because it throws off the wet/dry ratio in the recipe. For that reason I would not recommend it, unless you are fine with getting a different result. Hope this helps!

I made these but used coconut oil in place of butter and added pecans in with the walnuts. They’re baking now! I dislike chocolate cake and therefore even more so dislike cakey brownies. My husband likes cakey brownies so more for me on this one! Score! :)

I made the gluten free version of these brownies. I dont know what I did wrong but they came out so hard, almost like a thick chocolate cracker. When I went to use the flax seed egg that I set aside it almost looked like oatmeal that was left out for too long. I dont know if that made a difference? Did anyone else get this result or know what I might of did wrong?

Heyy!
I was wondering is your batter pretty dry when you mix it all up? I’ve tried it 2 ways. The first time i tried i guess i added more milk than required and the batter wasnt dry but the brownies turned out nice and chewy. But while they were baking i started making a second batch cause i was worried they werent gonna come out right cause the batter wasn’t dry.
And then when the drier batch came out of the oven it was extremely crumbly and hard (obv i waited for it to cool etc), so i guess im just wondering what went wrong? :(
Your expertise would be greatt :D

Hi there, Yes the batter should be very dry, but if you keep mixing it it will eventually come together into a very thick dough. I also dont recommend making any changes as this recipe is very sensitive. I hope your next batch goes better! :)

you’re killing me that i would have to wait 2 hours before i can eat these brownies!!! i’m just going to eat the chocolate chips straight from the bag and call it a night (but will save these recipes for a day when my chocolate cravings are a little more patient, because they look delicious!!) xo

I just made the regular (non gluten free) version and they’re good! My fiance loved them. I used white whole wheat flour and left out the walnuts because I’m bringing them to an Easter lunch with picky eaters. I also doubled the recipe and baked them in a 9×13 pan. Ended up cooking them about ten minutes extra because they are a little on the thick side and seemed really jiggly. Thanks for the recipe!

I bake egg-free, per my son’s food allergies. I can replace eggs with flaxseed with success, except for brownie recipes. I use AP flour and butter for brownies, and the butter separates from the batter, as it bakes, leaving the brownie swimming n liquid butter. Do you have any idea why? I wonder if I can take this recipe and use AP flour (He’s allergic to tree nuts.) and butter, with success.

Hi… great recipe thank you! Do you think I can substitute sugar for healthier sweetener? Like organic maple syrup or date syrup? Will it change the consistency too much if a liquid sweetener is used? Thank you

I just made these now and they have a yummy flavour but very very crumby and fell apart, taste a bit too dry to me .I followed the recipe exactly so Im not sure what was wrong, I will try them again with more liquid next time

The GF brownies came out great!! I love the texture, its so dence and chewy I could cry a happy tear! I let them cool uncovered overnight, and will be sharing with family after dinner today. Next time I would like to try oat flour in place of rice flour to see if they are equally successful. Thanks Angela, I can always trust your recipes.

I made these tonight and my whole family of non-vegans went absolutely crazy for them! While I was preparing them, they all were complaining, asking why couldn’t I just make “normal” brownies, and once they tried them each of them actually apologized saying they were delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe :)

Hi Angela,
My daughter has a new found allergy to cane sugar. I have been substituting coconut sugar 1:1 for cane sugar in most recipes and it has worked out so far. Will coconut sugar at this ratio work for this recipe? Do I need to change the ratio? I am thinking I need to up the amount? Also, your book says to bake these in a 9″ square pan but it looks like you baked them in an 8″ square pan here – which do you recommend? Lastly, do you think any other non dairy milk would work or should I stick with the almond milk? Thank you for your response in advance – I have had great success with every recipe of yours that I have tried until this one. The changes I made are the coconut sugar for cane sugar, rice milk instead of almond, and I used an 11″ x 8″ pan. The brownies turned out dry and quite crumbly. OK, I admit it, I forgot the extra 2 tablespoons of butter but do you think that was the difference. PLEASE HELP!!!

Hi there, I’m sorry to hear your brownies didn’t turn out! Coconut sugar is drier than cane sugar, and it can often result in poor outcomes if swapped into a baked good recipe (depending on the recipe of course!), so my guess is that this had a big influence on the outcome (as well as potentially leaving out the butter). Usually swapping one plant milk for another is totally fine, so I don’t suspect that is what caused it. I hope if you make them again, you have great success! Also, keep your eyes peeled for my new brownie recipe in the next cookbook (it’s gluten- free and grain-free!).

Thanks for your response, Angela! What do you think about adding maple syrup, agave, brown rice syrup, or something similar in addition to the coconut sugar? Would that help moisten up the recipe for me? If so, any recommendations for how much to add? Thanks in advance for your help!

I made the recipe from the cookbook (which is quite similar) with coconut sugar and it was very crumbly, similar to your results. It could have been the fact that I use raw cacao powder, so I’m not really sure. It’s your call. Usually, you can substitute a liquid sweetener for another liquid (such as milk or water) in a recipe. If you simply add a liquid sweetener, you off-set the balance of wet and dry ingredients and the flour may not be able to “drink up” the extra liquid, resulting in a gooey or gummy texture. Hope this helps!

Hi,
I love your recipes and about to try your Vegan and Gluten free Brownie. I have a cup for measuring which says 1 cup is 8oz, but this can’t be right for dry ingredients. Do you have a conversion of your recipes into grams? The problem with cups is that is differs for dry, milled or whole ingredients. Thanks Marilyn

Hi Marilyn, I don’t have a conversion done – sorry! But there are definitely a few great (and free!) conversion calculators online that should be able to help you out. An ingredients-based one like GourmetSLeuth’s is your best bet for accuracy, since it will let you take into account those differences between ingredients. Hope this helps!

These brownies are fantastic! I’ve been making the recipe from your cookbook for a long time with amazing results. However the last time I made it, I didn’t have any brown rice flour so I made some substitutions that made the brownies even better than before! I swapped the 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown rice flour for 1/4 cup buckwheat (ground into flour) and enough oat flour to top it off (about a heaping 1/2 cup). The result was a much moister, gooey and soft brownie that held together better than the brown rice flour version. Sometimes the brown rice flour yields a denser texture and can become hard and crumbly, or even gritty. Additionally, I used a scant 1 cup almond flour instead of a full cup so that may have contributed to the less dense texture. Well, I just wanted to let you know the success I had with these substitutions and perhaps anyone reading this who has the OSG cookbook may want to try these substitutions. Happy baking! :)

Living in Asia meant it has taken me a while to gather all the ingredients for the vegan and gluten free brownies. But to my horror, the link to the vegan and gluten free brownies does not load for me anymore :(((. Could anybody help?

I just made these in practice for my sisters wedding and absolutely blown away!! Gave some to my very “I-could-never-be-vegan” housemate and she loved them! Said she couldn’t believe they were completely vegan :) Yay!

I have made these brownies so many times since you have posted this recipe Angela, I haven’t made the gluten free version because I don’t have a gluten intolerance and don’t care for most gluten free recipes (though I am sure they are delicious). These are the MOST DELICIOUS DAMN DARN VEGAN BROWNIES IN THE WORLD AND ARE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!! I have served these up to family and coworkers and my husband (who reallly mostly despises chocolate) and have created a small fan base asking for the recipe and to be harassed about bringing them around more often. I recently didn’t have any almonds/or almond flour and used walnuts in place, they did come out a little more oily than normal but were even still amazing and I was even told they were better than before. Thank you for your glorious brownie recipe and all the loveliness you bring Angela!

I made these brownies in a cast iron skillet. I only cooked for 25 min and cooled on the counter with a window open just a crack as its 0’C outside. 1/4 inch of the outside hardened to make a nice lil crust and everything beyond was moist, dense and delicious.

Hi thank you so much for the recipe! All my family and friends love this (of course including me)!
I just have a question… I did leave the brownie (the vegan one) in the pan for more than 1.5 hours, but they still fall apart like sand with some water. Therefore it’s a little hard to share it with people other than close friends and family. Any suggestions?

Hi Ginny, These brownies are inclined to some cracks and crumbles (nature of the beast!), but from what you’re describing, you’re experiencing a bit more of that than usual. Assuming they’ve been allowed to cool completely (which it sounds like they have) and that you didn’t make any substitutions, my guess is the brownies may have baked for a little too long, which can lead to drier, and therefore crumblier, brownies. Some ovens run a little hotter than others, and the material of the pan you’re baking them in can have an impact on baking time, too, so overbaking can happen quite easily! On the upside, all is not lost — you can always crumble the brownies over some banana soft serve or ice cream for a sundae, or maybe on top of a smoothie bowl for a decadent treat! ;)

The gluten-free vegan recipe is the bomb! I made a good but free version using ground sunflower seeds instead of almond meal. They turned out quite similar! The flavour is slightly different, but they turned out fine! I added extra chocolate chips to make up for the flavour difference. ;)

These are unlike any brownies I’ve ever had before. Most recipes use unsweetened chocolate, but the cocoa powder makes them taste almost like chocolate icing! With mediterranean sea salt, it was the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and they baked perfectly all around (no gooey center)!
If you use an 8×8″ pan, I’d reccomend baking it 3-4 minutes longer.

I might regret saying this, but these beat my family’s traditional brownie recipe into the ground. SO delicious.

Hey Kim,
So sorry about that! This recipe is in the old Recipage database and it’s been loading very slowly lately. We’re in the process of transferring recipes, but it’ll take some time.
In the meantime, would you be able to try this link: http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6004399
and give it some time to load (it’s slow)?

In the meantime, here is the recipe copy and pasted, just in case!

Oh She Glows Vegan and Gluten-Free Brownies

Dense, nutty, with a crispy crust. Our favourite vegan brownie to date and gluten-free too. No one will ever guess these are vegan and gluten-free!

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment and grease all sides. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water and set aside.
2. In a blender or processor, process almonds into a meal/flour. Sift out large pieces. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, arrowroot, cocoa, salt, baking soda).
3. In a large microwave safe bowl, add chocolate and Earth Balance and melt in microwave for about 30-45 seconds until melted. Stir well and add in flax egg, sugar, vanilla, and milk. Whisk.
4. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir well. The mixture will be VERY dry, but not to worry keep mixing! Now fold in the walnuts and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
5. Scoop thick batter into prepared pan and place a piece of parchment on top. Spread with hands or a pastry roller until smooth and even.
6. Bake for 35-37 minutes at 350F and allow brownies to cool in pan for about 1.5 hours. DO NOT REMOVE BROWNIES (uh oh I’m screaming!) until completely cool or they will crumble…you were warned! After an hour or so, separate edge of brownie from pan with a butter knife and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely. I like to leave my brownies out overnight (uncovered) and cut them in the morning.
Store in an air-tight container. Will stay fresh for up to 3 days.

Hi, I’m so looking forward to making these brownies but first would like to check the weight of the chocolate …do you have this in grams please as I can’t figure out how much should go into the cups. I work in grams and am just not used to cups :) thank you!!!

Many thanks for getting back to me …I can’t wait to try these as I’m such a chocoholic! I’ve just been looking at your books and am trying to decide which to try first …can I please ask …do they both and equally cover cakes/brownies/biscuits/desserts/chocolate, or does one book have more to offer in this department than the other?!! I see that each book has amazingly fab reviews :)

Hey Dena, Anytime! About the books, the second book (Every Day) has more desserts. The first book has one cookie recipe, while the second one has a cookie chapter. But there are some dessert gems in the first book too (the chocolate espresso torte, raw pumpkin pie to name a couple). I hope this helps! Happy to answer any other questions too.

Hey Ashley, I’m sorry our old recipe service Recipage is not working for us any longer. I do have a few gluten-free brownies to check out though (one in each of my cookbooks) and this one here: https://ohsheglows.com/2017/10/19/ultimate-flourless-brownies-for-two-cookbook-news/ I hope this helps and I’m sorry for the inconvenience!

Hi Sally! I’m so sorry, I don’t have it anymore as that old recipage service we used isn’t working for us any longer. I do have two awesome gluten-free brownies in my books though in case you have those on hand. Another option would be to try my Ultimate Flourless Brownies for Two: https://ohsheglows.com/2017/10/19/ultimate-flourless-brownies-for-two-cookbook-news/ Hope this helps!

I’ve made the gluten free version of these brownies a bunch of times now and they are outstanding. Last time I didn’t have brown rice flour I but was able to substitute it with the same quantity of teff flour since they’re the same weight. Worked great! Also had to use 120 grams of blanched almond flour since I didn’t have any whole almonds on hand. By now I’ve written down the weights of all the dry ingredients in the margin of the cookbook since I love using my digital scale for baking (fewer dishes to wash!) 😉 Thanks Angela for such a perfect recipe.

Hey Jackie, thanks so much for sharing your swaps! I’m so glad you love the brownies…they’re a hit around here too. Have you tried my Ultimate Flourless Brownies for Two? Recipe here if you’re interested! https://goo.gl/6DPggT

These vegan brownies are an absolute staple for me!
They are just like the ones I always had growing up from this insanely and unreasonably good brownie mix package (non vegan) from my local store in Switzerland.
I’m sooooo happy I found this recipe! It’s the absolute best I’ve tried myself or tasted from other people :D!!

Now I wanted to bring some brownies for my last day of work tomorrow and one of my coworkers is gluten intolerant so I looked for the full gluten free recipe. Sadly the link to the full glutenfree recipe doesn’t work though. Can you help please?
Thanks!

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment and grease all sides. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water and set aside.
2. In a blender or processor, process almonds into a meal/flour. Sift out large pieces. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, arrowroot, cocoa, salt, baking soda).
3. In a large microwave safe bowl, add chocolate and Earth Balance and melt in microwave for about 30-45 seconds until melted. Stir well and add in flax egg, sugar, vanilla, and milk. Whisk.
4. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir well. The mixture will be VERY dry, but not to worry keep mixing! Now fold in the walnuts and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
5. Scoop thick batter into prepared pan and place a piece of parchment on top. Spread with hands or a pastry roller until smooth and even.
6. Bake for 35-37 minutes at 350F and allow brownies to cool in pan for about 1.5 hours. DO NOT REMOVE BROWNIES (uh oh I’m screaming!) until completely cool or they will crumble…you were warned! After an hour or so, separate edge of brownie from pan with a butter knife and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely. I like to leave my brownies out overnight (uncovered) and cut them in the morning.
Store in an air-tight container. Will stay fresh for up to 3 days.

Really disappointed that the recipe wasn’t clear in specifying that the brownies should not be cooked with the parchment paper on top. I left the parchment on top and they came out kind of steamed. 🙁 you should update the recipe to be more specific.

Hi!
When I try to go to the recipe for the GF version of your vegan brownies, all I get is a blank page. I know you use oat flour and almond flour, but I’d love to have the exact recipe. Could you remedy this problem?

The absolute best brownies! And they’re vegan. I’ve tried so many vegan brownie recipes since going vegan. They either come out terrible and oily, or else they’re the kind of brownies that others claim are “pretty good”, but you know they’re wrong. But these! These are the ones I’m bringing to my office to impress the cooworkers with vegan yumminess!

There are a few gluten-free folks at the office, but sadly, the gf recipe won’t load! Does anyone know the ingredients for the gf?

Oh I wish the use of the microwave wasn’t in here, it is just so bad for your health. The ingredients that you need to melt are also very easily done in a pan. I love your recipes but please keep health in mind.